Container and dispenser for baby formula



April 1966 w. R. MOORE 3,244,305

CONTAINER AND DISPENSER FOR BABY FORMULA Original Filed Jan. 28, 1963 f'lEi a INVENTOR. W/LL/AM Q, Maoefi Patented Apr. 5, 1966 3,244,305 CONTAINER AND DISPENSER FOR BABY FORMULA William R. Moore, 100 SW. Ranchwood Ct.,

Oklahoma City, Okla; 1 Original application Jan. 28, 1963, Ser. No. 254,389, new Patent No. 3,187,918, dated June 8, 1965. Divided and this application Mar. 18, 1964, Ser. No. 357,855 1 Claim. (Cl. 215-11) This application is a division of my application Serial Number 254,389, filed January 28, 1963, now Patent No. 3,187,918, dated June 8, 1965, and entitled Container and Dispenser for Baby Formula.

The present invention relates to containers and dispensers and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, relates to a device for storing and dispensing formula direct to a babys mouth in an aseptic condition without preparation.

As is well known by every parent, a major portion of a babys diet is liquid. In most cases, the liquid is a formula prepared by adding water to a powder and is fed from a bottle by means of a nipple. In order to protect the babys health, great care must be exercised to maintain aseptic conditions during the preparation, bottling, storage and serving of the formula. For example, it is customary to sterilize the bottles or nipples with boiling water or steam. The water used in the formula should also be boiled. Then the water and powder should be carefully measured prior to mixing. After the powder and water are thoroughly mixed, considerable care must be exercised in filling the bottles. Then it is desirable, and is essential in the case of whole milk, to sterilize the bottled liquid by heat for a considerable period of time. Since the filled bottles are not sealed, they must be stored under refrigeration until used. Then it is usually desirable to warm the formula before it is fed to the baby, during which time the baby is invariably crying. To add to the inconvenience, this procedure occurs, to an alarmingly high degree, during the middle of the night. The bottles and nipples must, of course, then be thoroughly washed and cleaned before starting the sterilization and preparation cycle once again.

Even greater inconveniences are usually encountered when traveling with a baby. Refrigeration is seldom available in a private automobile or on a public carrier, such as a bus, train or airplane, so that each separate feeding must be prepared using what facilities may be available. Further, changes in water from one locality to another frequently upset the babys stomach and cause additional problems.

The present invention contemplates a disposable container for shipping, marketing and storing, without refrigeration, and serving, without preparation, a babys formula in a completely aseptic condition. The novel container and dispenser comprises a sealed container, a flexible dispensing means, such as a nipple sealed around at least a portion of the container, and an opening means disposed within the flexible dispensing means and operable by deformation of the flexible dispensing means for opening the container. The liquid within the container is then free to flow around the opening means, which has been remotely operated and, therefore, is not contaminated, and into the dispensing nipple where it may be taken as desired by the baby. Other aspects of the present invention will hereafter be described in greater detail and pointed out with particularity in the appended claim.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate the task of sterilizing nipples and bottles.

Another object of the present invention is to eliminate the task of mixing and bottling baby formula.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a container for storing premixed formula at room temperature to thereby eliminate the task of warming a refrigerated bottle.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a disposable baby formula container and dispenser to thereby eliminate the task of cleaning bottles and nipples.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container and dispenser of the type described which includes a disposable dish from which solids can be spoon fed to a baby and which, therefore, will substantially eliminate the task of washing and cleaning any bottles or dishes otherwise associated with feeding a baby.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a container and dispenser of the type described which can be very economically manufactured.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a container and dispenser of the type described which can be economically filled with formula and sealed under aseptic conditions.

Many additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be evident to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a container and dispensing device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 22 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGURE 1, a container and dispensing device constructed in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 80. The device comprises a container means 82 which has a cylindrical side wall 84, the bottom of which is suitably closed by a bottom structure. The container means is closed at its top by a cap unit designated generally by reference character 85. The cap unit 85 has a depending flange ski-rt portion 88 which is telescoped over and soldered to the cylindrical side wall 84. A top wall 86 of the container means 82 is preferably molded from aluminum and includes four upwardly extending projections 90 which are circumferentially spaced and positioned adjacent the side wall 84, as best illustrated in FIGURE 2. The top Wall 86 is then scored along the lines 92, as illustrated in FIGURE 7, to such an extent that when the upwardly extending projections 90 are pressed downwardly, the top wall 86 will separate along the scored lines 92 and can be bent downwardly to the positions 94 shown in dotted outline in FIGURE 1.

A suitable nipple means, indicated generally by reference numeral 96, may be of substantially the same construction as the resilient nipples which are presently in extensive use on baby bottles, and are commercially available. The nipple means 96 has an elastic band portion 98 which is pressed or stretched around the cylindrical wall 84 of the sealed container means 82, preferably at a point below the flange 88 so that the lower edge of the flange 88 will serve as a stop. If desired, the band portion 98 of the nipple means 96 may be secured to the cylindrical wall 84 by a suitable adhesive.

A cap 100, which may be fabricated of plastic or other economical material, may then be placed over the nipple means 96 substantially as illustrated, and a strip of plastic tape 102 used to secure and seal the cap 100 in place. Thus, so long as the sealing tape 102 remains intact, the customer is assured that the nipple means 96 and the contents of the container 82 remain in a sterile condition.

The container and dispensing device 80 may be constructed and filled with liquid in either of two ways. The cylindrical side wall 84 and the bottom of the device which interconnects the side wall may be constructed by conventional techniques in the same manner as a standard tin can. The container means can then be filled with formula through the open top. The cap unit 8 5 is then placed over the cylindrical side wall 84 and the depending flange portion 8 8 soldered in place to completely seal theformula Within the container means 82. The container means 82 can then be heated to sterilize the liquid as desired.

: Next, the nipple means 96 is secured in place by forcing the elastic band portion 98 around the cylindrical wall 84 of the sealed container means 8 2. Finally, the cap 100 is placed over and around the nipple means 96 and the strip of plastic tape 102 applied to completely seal the nipple and the interior of the cap 100 from the atmosphere. The container should, of course, be assembled under aseptic conditions so that, upon ultimately reaching the consumer, all parts of the container means 82 and the cap 100 will be sterile.

The alternative method of filling the container is to secure the cap unit 85 and nipple means in place initially, then fill the container means 82 through the bottom, and finally secure the bottom in place to seal the container means.

Since the liquid within the container means 82 is completely sealed from the atmosphere, there is no need to keep the device 80 under refrigeration. When it is desired to feed the contents of the container means 82 to an infant, the strip of tape 102 and the cap 100 are first removed from the nipple means 96. Then, by pressing downwardly on the resilient nipple means 96 at the points 104 so as to press the radiused portions downwardly and break the top wall 86 along the scored lines 92, the milk or other. liquid within the container means 82 can be permitted to flow into the nipple means, and to there be extracted by the infant from the small aperture in the nipple means.

From the above detailed description of the present invention, it will be evident that a novel and highly useful container and dispensing device has been described. It will be appreciated that the specific structural features of the described device can be varied to a substantial extent without departing from the broad aspects of the invention. Many other ways of fabricating the container means and the opening means will be evident to those skilled in the art. In addition to metal, it will also be evident that the various container means may be fabricated from plastic or any other suitable material in one or more pieces. For example, the container means may comprise a plastic bag wholly or partially contained within a nipple means which may be sealed around the entire bag or sealed to a portion or surface of the bag.

The container and dispensing device completely eliminates the tedious task of sterilizing bottles, mixing formula and filling the bottles, heating the refrigerated formula prior to each feeding, and finally cleaning the bottles and dishes after use. The container and dispensing device maintains the formula under substantially better aseptic conditions than can be attained when mixing and bottling the formula by hand. Further, the device requires no refrigeration and is, therefore, completely transportable and well suited for use under all conditions and on trips by substantially any mode of transportation.

Having thus described several preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made in the several parts and in the combination of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A disposable container and dispensing device especially adapted for storing and dispensing baby formula without preparation and under aseptic conditions, the device comprising:

sealed container means having a wall;

flexible nipple mean-s sealed around at least a portion of the wall;

score means on the portion of the wall for facilitating separation of the wall along the score means when the wall is subjected to a concentrated pressure adjacent to the score means; and,

projection means extending from the outer surface of the wall toward the flexible nipple means and disposed adjacent to the score means,

whereby a force can be applied to the projection by deformation of the flexible nipple means to thereby apply a concentrated pressure adjacent the means for facilitating separation of the wall so that the wall will be separated and liquid within the container can be extracted through the nipple means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

